Andy Cheng

Opinion | As Shenzhen leads the race for talent, here’s how Hong Kong can win too

The government must not see talent acquisition as a zero-sum game, especially between two cities as closely connected as Hong Kong and Shenzhen

For example, someone who works in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong tech zone could still invest in Hong Kong property or send their child to school here

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Families are seen in Coco Park, a retail and lifestyle complex in Shenzhen, on August 6. To attract talent, the Hong Kong government must make it easy for professionals in Shenzhen to access quality health and education services in Hong Kong. Photo: Dickson Lee

Andy Cheng

Published: 9:30am, 29 Nov 2023

According to a recent study jointly released by Zhaopin, a leading recruitment platform in China, and economist Ren Zeping, Shenzhen is the most attractive city to the country’s post-95 generation, ahead of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Key to its appeal is its focus on creating a talent-friendly ecosystem and an abundance of career opportunities in tech-related industries.

Earlier this month, the Shenzhen government made a further push for talent with new and more comprehensive measures and benefits covering housing, healthcare, children’s education and parents’ relocation.

Clearly, Shenzhen is winning the race for talent so far, but that doesn’t mean Hong Kong has to lose out in the long run.

At the moment, the Hong Kong government is considering talent flows unilaterally: if a talented individual does not settle in the city, it counts as a person lost to another city. However, talent acquisition does not need to be a zero-sum game within the Greater Bay Area, especially not between adjacent cities like Hong Kong and Shenzhen, thanks to the ever-improving infrastructure and transport linking both sides of the border.

In fact, the State Council’s development plan for the Shenzhen-Hong Kong science and technology zone, released in August, envisions a smoother flow of talent between the two cities as early as 2025. As development plans for San Tin Technopole and other parts of the Northern Metropolis come to fruition, the flow of talent between the cities will become easier.

Encouraging bilateral talent flows would mean that the contributions of Shenzhen-based professionals are no longer constrained by the border. For example, someone in Shenzhen who works for a company in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Cooperation Zone could be interested in buying real estate or insurance in Hong Kong; they may also consider sending their children to school here.

Opinion | As Shenzhen leads the race for talent, here’s how Hong Kong can win too

The government must not see talent acquisition as a zero-sum game, especially between two cities as closely connected as Hong Kong and Shenzhen For example, someone who works in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong tech zone could still invest in Hong Kong property or send their child to school here

The government must not see talent acquisition as a zero-sum game, especially between two cities as closely connected as Hong Kong and Shenzhen

For example, someone who works in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong tech zone could still invest in Hong Kong property or send their child to school here